Code Geass : The Disowned Prince
by lilysmiya
Summary: What if Lelouch captured Japan but was disowned by his father and betrayed by his family? What if he never misused his geass?What if the Japanese accepted him? What if Suzaku never betrayed Lelouch and stayed by his side to prevent unnecessary bloodshed? To find out continue reading Twisted cannon PART 1(follows the journey of Lelouch from Britannia to Japan)SuzakuXNunnally
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Code Geass is like the best anime ever for me though I personally would prefer if it had a little less bloodshed. So this is my take on the story. Hope you all like it.**

 **This is my very first story. All suggestions and reviews are welcome.**

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It was a peaceful day in the Aries Imperial Palace, the sun shone brightly around the palace grounds, a subtle wind blew through the trees, birds chirped around and continued with their early morning duties. This was the true form of the world without the rampaging war in all corners of the world.

It was on such beautiful days that Lelouch vi Britannia truly felt like he was in a beautiful world instead of one filled with deceit, lies and war. Growing up in a royal family he was well aware of the power struggle between his half-siblings and the concept of survival of the fittest. Thus was his mask of displeasure towards the entire world.

Only at times in the mornings when he was truly alone would he take in the beauty of nature. Well he might have been an introvert but there were only three people in the entire royal family who knew his true feelings- his lovely mother Marianne vi Britannia, his sweet little sister Nunnally vi Britannia and his half-sister Euphemia li Britannia- his three angels in his self imposed solitary life.

Other than theses three ladies his only other confidant was Earl Lloyd Asplund. Even though the earl was about twelve years older than him he was probably the only one among the nobles who didn't care much about power and discrimination on the basis of nationality. Lelouch often wondered whether this was because of his extreme interest in the wonders of science or because of the fact that he had travelled around many places around the world in disguise. He had pondered on this subject many times but never came to a solid conclusion. Still the Earl's inquisitive nature amused him to no bounds and he often found himself spending his time with the Earl when he was not travelling. He was also very sure that when time came the Earl would be more loyal to him and his sister than any other of his half-siblings. Of course it was also because his mother mostly funded the Earl's scientific debuts.

He did have a little affection towards his other siblings but it was almost as if his affection towards them was forced. Surely Odysseus was a father like figure for him, Clovis was snob but made sure to spend some of his time to play with Lelouch, he did respect Cornelia for she idolized his mother and Schneizel was the only true opponent to challenge his tactical mind. Some of his siblings like Guinevere were neutral and he didn't get to spend much time to spend with them to understand them properly, though he was fairly sure that they too looked down upon non-Britannians with disdain. And then there were others like Carine whom he despised with all of his heart for they were too haughty and always looked down upon him and his sister for their mother was a commoner unlike their father's other consorts. They were too selfish and cared about nothing but materialistic pleasures of being Royals. For them other people's life was nothing of their concern and would give the order of killing thousands without any remorse.

Looking back at the clock on his table Lelouch realized that he was running late from meeting his mother and sister coming back from the gardens. Oh how many times did run late due to his over analyzing of his miserable life?

He quickly got off from his bed ran off to brush his teeth, quickly took a shower and the put on his royal robes. Motioning his personal guards to follow him he briskly walked off towards the courtroom.

Although he was in a light mood and was also humming to himself he couldn't fathom the uneasy feeling of dread in the bottom of his heart. Quickening his pace he stormed into the courtroom to meet his mother and sister. In his hurry he started descending the stairs without even looking down. After pacing down a few steps a rusty smell entered his nostrils, he turned to his right only to find that his guards had stopped following him.

That was when he looked down to the bottom of the stairs only to see the most gruesome scene, a scene that would turn his life upside down.

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 **How was it till now? Should I continue? And did I get all the characters properly? Lelouch may seem a bit OCC but he is only a 10 year old child.**

 **Do review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two. I know it's a very quick update but I've had this idea since ages. It's probably going to be quite long story for I plan on elaborating on most events of their lives. So the story will develop a bit slowly for the character build up to occur properly.**

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For lying at the end of the staircase were his mother and Nunnally all covered in blood. Lelouch frantically ran down the stairs and tried to wake his mother but her back had numerous bullet holes. He checked his mother's pulse but there was none. His beautiful and caring mother was forever gone and he couldn't even be next to her during the last moment of her life. All his life he and his sister had been protected by her. It was because of his mother that he had a little bit of respect in the royal family. But, now even that shelter was torn away from him. She was the first person he'd known to have loved. She was the very person who had given him his best gift yet, his sister Nunnally.

Nunnally! How could he forget about her? Witnessing her mother's death was no little thing for a seven year old girl.

It was at that very moment that he saw the awful state that his sister was in. Nunnally's eyes were wide open and she was trembling as if in shock over what had just happened. He carefully tried to lift his mother from Nunnally with the help of his personal guard who had come down to help him. Maneuvering Nunnally out of his mother's tight embrace he couldn't help but think that his mother had protected Nunnally from the bullets with the last breath of her life. She was such a wonderful woman and she shouldn't have been murdered in such a manner.

The moment Nunnally was deposited in his arms she wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in the crook of his neck and let all the feelings bottled up inside her flow out. And these feelings of great sorrow came out as painful sobs and gut-wrenching screams. It was at this moment of seeing his normally very cheerful sister in such a state that the true nature of the events dawned upon him, Marianne the Flash was gone leaving him and his sister to fend off for themselves. He suddenly had a huge urge to cry just like her. He almost lost into that urge but then he remembered his promise to his mother that he would protect his sister no matter what happened. He never really got to act on that promise but he would, starting from now; after all he was Nunnally's big brother.

He bent down to face his sister and tried his best to console her by saying sweet nothings into her ear but couldn't do so for mere words were no match for her pain. He carefully pulled away from her, put his hands on each side of her face and turned her to face him. Nunnally's eyes were clamped shut.

"Nunnally…." sighed Lelouch in a gentle voice, "...Please open your eyes. Please don't shut yourself down. You have to stay strong. We both have to, for mother."

"Big brother… I'm sorry… but I can't open my eyes…. I can't. Please allow me to keep the shut a little while longer…it's much easier to forget horrors of the world this way…Please big brother let me be weak a little while longer."

"Nunnally you are not at all weak. Never say that you are weak, for you are strong in the way only you can be." answered Lelouch aggressively.

A vast number of guards and maids had surrounded them by then and tried to move the two siblings from the stairs. Mutterings of "It'll all be okay soon my dear", "My how pitiful that the Empress had to die leaving her naive children all alone"," I wonder what will happen to them, now that their mother is not there to protect them from the outer world", "Oh! My poor little things what will they do now!" were starting to get on young Lelouch and he was trying his best not to scream at them.

Being a member of the Royal Imperial family he too had his own ego and was not going to allow these mere servants shower their pity on him and his sister. Mustering all the courage he had Lelouch tried to stand up and motioned Nunnally to do so too. But for some reason she didn't move at all. She sat utterly still in his lap.

"Come on Nunnally get up. I'll take you to your room"

The next words that Nunnally uttered made the worst day of his life even more worse, for she said:

"Big brother…. I can't feel my legs."

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 **I'm open to all kinds of suggestions, so please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter-3 is up now and I hope you enjoy it. And I've tried to make this chapter a bit more long than the previous ones.**

 **I appreciate all your suggestions.**

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What! No! His darling little sister couldn't have been crippled on the same day his mother. No! This had to be some sick game to test his capability as a prince. This couldn't have been true. No! Please mother come back I don't know what to do! Please…!

Lelouch waited but his silent pleas were heard by none. Steeling himself for what had to come he asked one of his personal guard to take Nunnally to the infirmary and do a thorough check-up. But it seemed like Nunnally didn't want to leave.

"Big brother… don't leave me... I don't want be alone… Please big brother."

The pleas of his sister tore his heart but there were other pending matters that he had to attend to. So he gently cupped his sister's face and said, "Nunnally it'll be alright. Miss Annie will be there with you. Give me a little more time for there is someone I need to speak to. I'll be joining you shortly. I promise." Saying this he motioned the guard and Miss Annie to take Nunnally away.

"Come on princess Nunnally we must get going. You'll need to get your wounds checked"

"Oo-ok… Big brother but come as soon as you can…I feel as if I'll lose you next if I'm not with you…I can't lose you big brother… I can't please come soon…" With these parting words Nunnally left the courtroom.

It was only when Nunnally had left that Lelouch was able to take in the condition of the rest of the room. Several of the glass windows were shattered indicating that there was a firing from outside the palace. Most probably the firing was from the gardens of the Aries Palace, wherein the bushes could be used as an appropriate cover. But seeing all the blood splattered around the room Lelouch was sure that it had been a one-sided fire as no palace guards had retaliated for they were all shot down in the first blow. The question was how did the attackers get in and how did they get out? For the Aries Imperial Palace was one of the most heavily protected structures in the entire Pendragon. Saving his musings for some other tie, he decided to address all the people who had gathered in the room.

The heartfelt exchange between the siblings didn't go unnoticed by the several maids and guards that had gathered. And princess Nunnally's leaving the courtroom had triggered numerous comments that had stopped when the siblings had started conversing. They all were curious about the princesses' condition and thought what would happen if she was truly crippled at such a young age. Many were even bold enough to speak that the Emperor would dispose of such a weak princess. Lelouch had tuned the voices out of his mind during his analysis of the courtroom but now that his analysis was complete he could now hear the remarks of those present. He tried his very best to keep his cool, but the previous mutterings of pity and the recent harsh comments fueled Lelouch's anger to an entirely new level and he immediately silenced them with a loud "Keep quiet" that echoed throughout the courtroom.

"Couldn't you all just shut up and mind your own business. Just go back to your work or have you all finished all your duties."

Not wanting to stay in the presence of the enraged prince the maids and the extra guards started scrambling out of the courtroom. Just as the first one among them was about to leave Lelouch commanded them to halt.

"My mother always felt that all those under her command were very loyal to her and her children. But it seems as if she was mistaken, for your loyalty only extended till you could benefit from her. But now that she is dead, you have no use of her and start berating her children. You all are nothing but scroungers, bloody parasites living off my mother!"

Calming down a little Lelouch added, "Go now do your work. And while doing so think about how many times my mother and sister have helped you in times when you were in dire need of help. Go!"

' _That should keep them quiet long enough for me to discuss this matter with Daemon'_ , thought Lelouch and motioned Daemon to follow him so as to discuss the matter privately.

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Even after being tightly embraced in her dead mother's arms for about half-an –hour and being assured by her big brother that he would protect her even if their mother was dead, Nunnally couldn't digest the fact that her sweet mother was no more. That her mother, the Empress of Britannia, had died protecting her. And now she had no one left other than her big brother. No doubt she liked the rest of her siblings but none of her affection towards them could compete with the love she felt for the caring mother and loving big brother. But now one of the two pillars of her well built shelter from the outer world had crumbled. Nunnally didn't know what to think or what to feel, for it was as if a part of her soul was lost.

For Nunnally-being a sweet little girl who was always protected by her mother and brother from the evils of the dark world-this was the very first time that she had seen so much bloodshed. And the sight she saw made her close her eyes to keep the demons of the real world away from her. When her eyes were closed she could easily relive the good old days she spent playing happily with her mother and big brother in the beautiful garden of the Aries Palace.

 _'Big brother! Lelouch where was he? He said he would come soon. Was he alright? Or was he too taken away from her only to never return? No, he promised to come soon, and her big brother never lied to , she would wait for her brother to come. Her brother asked her to be strong; her brother felt that she was strong in her own way, so she would try to be strong. Her brother had always protected her and now was the time she would return his favors.'_

Nunnally knew she wasn't that strong to protect her brother but she would be by his side no matter what happened. She swore that she would help him make the correct decisions, she swore that she would be her big brother's conscience, for he had tendency to make many decisions tat he would regret later on.

Making this promise she stopped the seemingly endless flow of tears and thought about what would happen next.

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 **I want to ask, how was Nunnally's POV. I really do hope I got her character properly. I didn't want her to be complete damsel in distress so I tried to depict that she too could be strong when needed.**

 **Please review so I can know more about your opinions and workout to make it a better story.**

 **Come on and press the review button.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well here is the fourth chapter. Please do two words of your appreciation mean a lot to me. They encourage me to continue writing and help me make my writing style better.**

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Lelouch hurried out of the courtroom and took the first left, which confused Daemon-one of his personal and most trusted guard.

"My Prince shouldn't you be going towards the right, that is the way to your personal chambers." This made Lelouch halt and he turned to address Daemon.

"Tell me Daemon do you feel that I'm not mentally sound due to the tragic incident that happened today and have forgotten the way in my own house?"

"No! Of course not My Lord. I was under the impression that you wished to discuss certain matters"

"Yes I did, but first would you answer a certain question that has been in my mind since a very long time."

"Of course My Lord."

"Which do you think is more important the past, the present or the future? Think about it and then try and understand the course of my actions."

Saying this Lelouch briskly walked away with Daemon quietly following him.

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When Lelouch entered the infirmary, he was greeted by the sight of many doctors shouting orders and moving frantically. This greatly disturbed Lelouch and he thought that something was wrong with Nunnally.

Pushing past the doctors standing there he approached the bed on which Nunnally was lying. Her head and eyes were wrapped up in bandages as were her legs. There was no sign of bloodied gauges or cotton pads which is why Lelouch assumed that she wasn't physically hurt, at least not with bleeding wounds. As a matter of fact the only blotches of blood were on the dress that Nunnally was wearing that morning.

 _'Oh Nunnally! My poor sister…. What she experienced today is something I would never wish on my enemy… I wish I reached there earlier… maybe I could have noticed the attack before it happened…maybe I could have saved mother…least of all I would have been there with Nunnally and the burden of watching mother die right before her eyes wouldn't be something she had to carry alone. There are so many things I wish I could have changed but alas that is not in my hands all I can do right now is handle this situation as maturely as I can.'_

Addressing the doctor standing by Nunnally's bed he finally asked the question he dreaded, "How is Nunnally? Where is she hurt and what is the level of damage to her body?"

The said doctor visibly gulped and answered, "The Princess is stable for now and there are no external injuries…"

"Oh why do I feel there is a but in there? Stop with the dramatics and get straight to the point."

"She has been analyzed with an aliment of the heart…"

"Ok… but she had that since she was a child due to her premature birth and I think that you should know that. Now I command you to tell me the entire truth and stop toying with me!"

Although the eleventh Prince was a mere 10-year-old, he was quite terrifying when he was angry. His temper was such that most of the elders quivered in fear of what to expect next from him. And the said doctor was no exception, sensing the Prince's rising temper he hurriedly answered, "The Princess is crippled and cannot walk any time soon."

"What! No! There must be something that you can do. Britannia is the most advanced empire and there must be some technology to cure this."

"I'm sorry my prince but it seems that there is nothing we can do for we do not know what brought about this sudden disability", answered another doctor.

"What do you mean you don't know? This is my sister's life we are talking about. Take all the money you want but cure this."

"You don't understand. Usually this kind of disability is caused by some sort of damage to the brain or spinal cord but we cannot trace any such damage in all our analysis. It is almost like she doesn't want to either walk or open her eyes."

"So, basically what you want to tell me is that there is no hope, that there is nothing you can do."

"I'm afraid not. We shall take your leave now." With that all doctors but one left the room allowing privacy to the Royal siblings.

 _'No! This cannot be happening. When Nunnally said that she couldn't feel her legs I really thought that there was nothing to worry because the doctors could cure her, but now all hope was lost. No! There must be some way out…I will not lose hope… Not yet…Mother wouldn't want it … she would want me to stay strong….I'll make a miracle happen… my little Nunnally will walk again someday soon…I promise.'_

The gentle voice of Nunnally calling out his name brought him out of his reverie and he immediately seated himself next to Nunnally.

"I'm here Nunnally right by your side."

"Big brother you came."

"I promised didn't I."

"Well you did, but you are late" said Nunnally in a seemingly angry voice.

"I'm sorry but there were certain matters that had to be addressed"

"You should be sorry but it's alright. I'm only frustrated as I was so worried that something had happened to you too. But I guess that you have many responsibilities on your head that I am not your topmost priority any longer. I must learn to accept this."

"No Nunnally that's not the case you are and will always be my topmost priority. I just got caught up but now that'll never happen. I promise."

"Thank you, big brother."

After some moments of silence Nunnally addressed Lelouch again, "Can I ask you something big brother?"

"Of course Nunnally. What do you want to know?"

"What will happen to me now"

"What do you mean by what'll happen to you now?"

"I heard your talk with the doctors" replied Nunnally bluntly.

"What? How? But you were asleep…oh! Now I get it…You were eavesdropping weren't you naughty little. I guess I'll have to punish you when you get out of the infirmary. Maybe I'll eat all of your ice-cream for the next week."

"Big brother please don't change the topic. I may be smaller than you but neither am I naïve nor am I stupid, you don't have to hide the horrors of the world from me any longer. You don't have to hide the fact that I'm crippled and blind for life. I know it's unfair but I think it'll be alright. I'll manage somehow as long as you are by my side big brother. I may be a seven year old girl who didn't see much of the world outside the palace walls but circumstances have made me to grow up and I shall adapt to these changes."

Lelouch stared in awe as his sister concluded her little speech. He chuckled slightly and said "I guess the little caterpillar that I had kept in the protection of my cocoon has finally matured into a beautiful but fierce butterfly. What do you think Daemon?"

Yes My Prince, the young princess has certainly grown up enough to live up to her royal name."

"True…True…but don't you think that Nunnally's first question is something that must be discussed."

"Yes My Prince I do think that the events that transpired this morning were quite bizarre for the Aries Imperial Palace is almost impossible to penetrate. Its security is quite strong and can't be that easily penetrated by rogue terrorists."

"That were my very thoughts and you are right that this is not the work of some terrorists, its been done by someone else"

"What do you mean big brother?"

"I mean to say that the incident that happened today couldn't have occurred without the help of an insider."

"You mean that we either have a traitor in our midst or a person from the Imperial family as our enemy."

"Precisely, and isn't much of a surprise given the fact that mother was a commoner and on noble but I didn't think that anyone would resort to such violence."

"Why do you think so big brother?"

"Well, firstly mother had a lot of loyal supporters who would be thirsty for revenge upon her death and secondly its no secret that mother was our father's most favorite consort. So I don't think anyone would anger the Emperor with such actions."

"I must agree with you big brother when you put it this way. But have you checked the security tapes for any clues."

"Don't worry Princess I have asked Leon to bring them. He must be arriving soon."

Coincidentally at the very moment there was a knock at the door and a striking young man with closely cropped sandy hair and blue eyes stepped in. he greeted the Prince and Princess with a bow motioned someone to come in.

"I thought that you would be hungry at such a late our, so I took the liberty of ordering some brunch for all. We can eat and discuss the matters at hand."

Lelouch nodded and helped Nunnally sit up. With their little brunch set up they resumed the discussion they were having.

"Lord Deamon I looked up the security tapes as you had asked but there was no record of security breach. It seems as though it was a planned attack by some traitor as we thought."

"Yes, I think that is clearly established between all of us."

"Speaking of security where was mother's personal guard at the time of attack? Where is Cornelia, she was given the responsibility of mother's safety?"

"From what I have found from speaking with the guards Lady Marianne's elite was ordered to stand down today."

"That means….." started Daemon.

"Yes it means that someone elaborately planned the attack. This confirms our suspicions of a traitor amidst us. Leon call Cornelia now!"

"I've tried my Prince but we can't contact her by any means."

"Very well then I want you to immediately request a council with my father tomorrow morning. It seems that he needs to answer some of my questions."

"Yes My Prince. I shall arrange that immediately."

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 **Well that concludes this chapter. the next one will show the conversation of Lelouch with Charles about his mother's death.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delayed upload. I actually had a difficult time writing this chapter. I had many ideas but I didn't know which one would be the most appropriate. I really hope that this idea which I thought was the best among the others is okay.**

 **I'm open for all kinds of suggestions that will help me improve my writing skills.**

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Elsewhere in a dark room a man wearing fancy robes knelt down before his master.

"My Emperor the task has been completed successfully."

His master grinned; he was pleased with the work that had been done but still not satisfied.

"Did anybody witness the events? Give me the entire details."

"No, My Emperor, it was carried out as stealthily as you expected. We easily had access to the body and it was replaced by the decoy. The body was then carefully transported to the particular cold storage as you had ordered. We even secured the true eye witness Anya Alstreim and transported her to the palace."

"Very well then, you may leave."

Only when the man had exited the room did th Emperor turn to his right and acknowledge the person on his right.

"It seems V.V. that our master plan will finally be successful now. Marianne can truly be by our side now."

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The rest of the day of the attack on the Aries Imperial Palace was uneventful other than the increase in the number of soldiers in the palace grounds to ensure that a repeat of the earlier incident did not occur. The palace had been thoroughly searched and all meals were checked for any traces of poisoning. The maids, guards and soldiers present during Prince Lelouch's outburst had been ashamed of their actions and resumed their duties with enhanced vigor. Many among them also swore that they would be eternally grateful to their Mistress' kind deeds and that they would remain loyal to her children for all eternity no matter what the situation would be in the future. The only question that remained was that, how true their claims were and for how long would they be true?

As for the two siblings, they had remained in the safety of the infirmary for the entire day. They were under the constant observation of Leon and Lord Deamon. The two of the had left the siblings alone for only for an hour so that they could deal with their mother's death in privacy without the constant fear that someone would overhear them and reveal their secret weakness to the outer world. For any to normal children it would have been normal to mourn at their mother's death but for Lelouch and Nunnally, there was no such option: as they were royalty they were expected to have hearts made up of steel so as to withstand any type of grief. Furthermore as their mother was a mere commoner who has risen to be the Empress, they were despised by the nobles of their country and such actions would only be ridiculed meaning that they would lose the protection that they got for being royalty.

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The tragic day followed by a night of restless sleep had finally gone by. Lelouch had woken up many times during the course of the night to the sounds of Nunnally's whimpers. Every time Nunnally had a nightmare it took Lelouch at least half-an-hour to coax her back to sleep. Having had to deal with both his and Nunnally's nightmares, it was no wonder that he was wide awake by seven in the morning. Realizing that he didn't have to get up for at least an hour or so he lay quietly on his bed and thought about the rest of his family members. No contact made with either Nunnally or Lelouch by any of them. He really didn't expect any condolences from his numerous step-moms. But, some of his brothers and sisters were entirely a different case. He really expected them to come over and contact him or Nunnally. He had waited for a good amount of time the previous day for his any of his sibling to come and assure him that everything would be okay, they would protect him and his sister. But when nothing of that sort happened he was forced to think that they didn't care what happened to them. It seemed as if they were glad that Lady Marianne was finally dead. They were probably plotting different strategies to get Lelouch and Nunnally out of the race of becoming the next Emperor or Empress.

What had surprised Lelouch the most was that even Euphemia hadn't contacted them. Still on the bed in the infirmary Lelouch's thoughts were filled with countless questions about Euphemia's actions.

 _Was all her kindness and love all an act to get on our good side? Was I wrong in trusting her? Besides, what could she have got by that? Cornelia was already among their father's favored children and she could easily get Euphemia what she wanted, then why had she done so? Was she not informed? No, that wasn't possible, rumors of assassinations spread faster than fire. Then was the news of his mother's assassination being withheld, if so then why? Or was Euphemia also attacked? Was she hurt? I really should have contacted her, but I too have my fair share of problems and couldn't go being a superhero when my little sister needs me the most. Could I? No of course not, what I did was right, wasn't it? Arrgh! So many questions and almost no answers! I will get all my answers today from father. No matter what I shall uncover the mystery behind mother's death. She shall be avenged, Nunnally shall be avenged. I shall…._

"Big brother what are you doing here?" shrieked Nunnally suddenly and her words brought Lelouch out of his thoughts.

"Calm down Nunnally. Why are you so worried? Did you have another nightmare?"

"No! No! No! I didn't get another nightmare but have you even looked at what time it is?"

"Why yes, its only 7:45 in the morning and I am only required only after 9. So I think it is alright to spend some more time with my sweet little sister. Don't you agree?"

"While it's truly wonderful that you like spending time with me, I really think you should get ready for meeting father. You know as well as I do, if not much better, that meeting father shall be a very difficult task. So go now. Please send Miss Annie in."

"Yes I understand; I'll take your leave now." said Lelouch while getting out of the bed and moving towards the door.

"One more thing if it's okay with you could you leave Leon behind for my safety instead of Lord Daemon, he is a bit too overwhelming for my liking"

"Of course I'll talk to them. Now that you mention those two I wonder whether or not they slept last night. I really hope that they didn't overload themselves with ensuring our security"

"Me too. Goodbye Lelouch. Take care and don't do anything harsh."

"Yes I will and you better take care of yourself too" with that Lelouch exited the infirmary.

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To say that Lelouch was nervous was an underestimation, his nerves were a wreck and there were rats, no elephants jumping up and down in his stomach. His confidence in himself that he would wiggle out the truth from his father had been diminishing from the moment he had left the infirmary. Even then he had convinced himself that he would be able to do it. But, when he had started planning with Lord Daemon he truly understood the difficulty of the situation. He wasn't able to decide whether he should demand he father to answer his questions directly or talk round about the topic of his concern. Lord Daemon wasn't really an help in this situation for in his opinion the prince shouldn't have sought an audience with the Emperor so soon.

Is predicament wasn't solved even when he reached the gates to the courtroom. Finally he decided that he would deal with the situation when he faced it by whatever means necessary.

And then it was announced….

"Sir Lelouch vi Britannia, 17th in line to the throne of the Holy Empire of Britannia, requests an audience!"

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 **How was the chapter? Did you like it? What kind of changes would you prefer?**

 **Please review and let me know. Your reviews and suggestions inspire me to write more and update faster.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I really think that I should clear certain things about the last chapter. My two wonderful reviewers noticed the change in the behavior of Lelouch's siblings and also questioned whether they were somehow involved in the murder of Marianne.**

 **Well I can assure you that none of Lelouch's siblings were involved in the murder but I can't guarantee whether or not they would take advantage of the current situation. Their actions may seem weird but these will play an important role in the story and will be explained properly later.**

 **Now enjoy the confrontation. Hope you like it.**

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As the doors of the courtroom opened Lelouch could hear that the room what eerily silent. Lelouch was tempted to look around and see who all had gathered there but he didn't spare a glance at the nobles who had gathered in the court for his eyes were strained on his father's face who just sat on his throne with a bored expression on his face.

 _What! How can father be just sitting there? Didn't he love mother the most among all his consorts? Lord Daemon had warned me that my father must have been using mother. Was it true the whole time? Did father just use mother as an all time bodyguard? Were me and Nunnally just pawns for him, just like Daemon said?_

Just thinking that his father might have used them made his face scrunch up in anger. He could only see red. When Lelouch entered the courtroom he tried to stay strong and not lose his temper right then and there. As he proudly walked up to his father's throne he could hear the mutterings about his mother's death from the crowd of the nobles who had gathered.

 _Well I at least now I know that the information about mother's death was not withheld. But how can these people not want to investigate her death? Oh! I see they are afraid that insisting on doing an investigation would land them up in trouble? How pathetic! But I must stay strong I cannot let my emotions, my anger get to the best of me now, not when I've come this far._

He was doing quite well but when he heard that he no longer had any standing he was shocked but he didn't stop. It was only when he heard that the Ashford family were finished that he stopped momentarily in shock wondering how that would have happened. Ignoring his temporary falter in step he continued walking as if he was in complete control of the situation. He had decided that he could look up at the Ashford family matter later during the day. He had to concentrate on the matter at hand currently.

* * *

Nunnally had about her brother's safety since he had left the infirmary in the morning. Her big brother may seem to be a boy who could maintain his cool and think rationally in any situation but she knew how he let emotions control him when someone he loved was hurt or there was some kind of injustice. This was the main reason why she had insisted that Lord Daemon should go with Lelouch.

Lord Daemon was one of the most trusted nobles their family had known. He had worked for them since the last 10 years and was extremely loyal to them. He was the last member of the Tourneville family, a very wealthy family that had been massacred leaving no member alive other than a missing son whom no one had seen in the 18 years of his life. A year later when the family assets were going to be used for charity Lord Daemon had arrived with his family heirloom and claimed his family's assets. He had spent two years helping people and restabilising his family's name. Only when that task had been completed did he join the Royal Guard. Despite being a noble he had insisted to work his way up by starting from the lowest rank offered. When asked he would just answer that he didn't want to take his position as an excuse for what he achieved rather he wanted to earn respect his position offered with honour. Her mother had often told her Lord Daemon's life story while putting her to sleepand thus she ad grown up admiring the man.

All years that Nunnally had known him he had been much attached to both her and Lelouch. As a matter of fact he was among the very few people who could knock some sense into them when they were being their usual stubborn selves. Nunnally had counted on this ability of his to keep Lelouch from taking any rash illogical decisions that would land them into much more trouble. She really hoped that what she had done was right. Sighing that she couldn't do anything to help her brother, she closed her eyes and waited for her brother's return.

* * *

When Lelouch finally reached the end of the stairs that led to his father's throne he said, "Your Majesty the Emperor my mother has passed away"

"And what about it?" said his father nonchalantly.

"What about it?!" _My mother was killed, my sister was crippled and all this man who calls himself my father is asking 'what about it?' Does his man have no heart?_

"Did you seek an audience with the emperor of Britannia just to say that? Bring the next. I don't have time to play with children."

Lelouch wanted to say that he was no mere child; he was the emperor's own flesh and blood. But all he did was cry out "Father!" and run towards the throne.

The guards stationed beside the emperor took this as an offence and started towards Lelouch only to be stopped with one wave of the emperors hand, with an affirmative bow they complied, showing that they would obey his orders for the time-being but they made no move to go back to their previous positions and stood in close proximity with the Emperor.

"Why didn't you protect mother?" _Or have you killed her yourself? Was she of no more use to you or was she an hindrance to some of your plans? open your eyes and look at me. Please father give me some answers. Why are you doing this? Maybe I should provoke him furthur to get some answers._

"You are the emperor, are you not? You are the greatest person in this country, are you not? You should have protected her! At least you could have visited Nunnally.

"I have no use for the weak."

"The weak?" _Is this what my father is? A monster with no morals, no remorse._

"That is the true nature of the Royal Family."

This angered Lelouch to no bounds. _The Royal Family! My foot! This is no family it's a breeding house for father where he gathers his pawns to play his games, to fulfill his needs. I don't need such a family, neither does Nunnally. We shall be better off without a father who doesn't care what happens to us, half-siblings who use us, play with our feelings to secure their own needs and step-mothers who despise us. I must take Nunnally away from this world of pretense. That is the only way in which I can keep her safe._

He closed his eyes trying to keep a check on his emotions. But he was only a child burdened to deal with his mother's death and protect his little sister. He couldn't fight the anger building up inside him any longer, so he let it free. He let his resentment control his words and then he spoke the words he didn't even mean to without thinking.

"Then I don't need the right to succeed the throne." The entire room looked at him with shocked expressions on their faces.

"I've had enough of it! I won't succeed you or get involved in any more conflicts."

"You are dead."

Lelouch just stared at his father. _What could father mean by this?_

"You have been dead since the day you were born. Who gave you those clothes you wear on your back right now? Your home, your food, even your life; I am the one who gave all that to you! In other words you have not even once been truly alive! And yet you show such insolence?!"

Saying this, his father stood up and looked into Lelouch's eyes with hatred and malice. Lelouch had never been as frightened as he was then for he had realised how true his father's words were. He tried taking a step back to get away from his father but lost his footing and fell to the ground. This made him feel even smaller in front of his gigantic father.

"Lelouch. A dead person like you has no rights. You will go to Japan with Nunnally. As prince and princess you will be good trading material. Take him away. I have no more time to waste with such weak fools."

Soldiers were instantly standing by Lelouch's side and dragging him towards the exit. That is when Lelouch understood the gravity of his mistake. He had just gone and done what he had feared the most. Since he was technically disowned by his father he and Nunnally were now going to lose the protection of being royalty.

 _No what have I done. I can't let this happen. I must do something. Think Lelouch think. Use your brain to get out of this mess you created for yourself. I need to buy some time. Once I'm out of the courtroom I will not be able to do anything._

"Father I'm sorry. What I did, what I said was wrong. I should have shown more control. Please forgive me father, this won't happen again."

"Stop your blabbering. I don't want to hear any more of your nonsense. Take him out of my sight immediately."

The guards had started moving faster and so had Lelouch's thoughts. His mind was racing with possible ways of changing the situation into his favor. That was when it suddenly struck him.

"Wait father! I have a proposition to make, a proposition that involves Japan."

"Oh! Do you? That certainly makes things more interesting. Release him."

* * *

 **How was the chapter? Please review to let me know about your opinions.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the late update. I am on a trip to Dubai with my family and I couldn't find enough time to properly complete this chapter. I really hope you all like it.**

* * *

His father had released him, just as Lelouch had expected, when he heard about Japan. After all the events that had transpired previously, it was no surprise to Lelouch that his father would be more interested in gaining Japan than the well-being of his own blood. And Japan was the very thing that could turn the tides of the war due to its abundant Sakuradite reserves. Being the primary exporter of Sakuradite, Japan had been using its position as a bargaining chip to get many privileges from many countries and the Britannian Empire was no exception. In the recent days its demands had become intolerable and thus Britannia was planning on capturing it.

"Well Lelouch what is your proposition? I haven't got all day to listen about your petty ideas."

"Father, Japan's demands are increasing uncontrollably and something must be done to stop them."

"Yes Lelouch. I am well aware of that fact. But, what interests me is what would you do about this situation?"

"I think that is the wrong question in the current situation? The correct one would be what have you done till now?" The Emperor's face settled in a scowl at this comment made by Lelouch, but Lelouch paid no heed to it and continued, "Don't get me wrong father, what I meant is that, keeping the Japanese in the dark about our impeding attack by giving them some kind of assurance would throw them off our tracks and give us the upper hand. And what better assurance can you give them other than sending someone of the Royal family to Japan. They would never expect Britannia to attack with someone fro the Royal family present. Wouldn't they father?"

Charles was thoroughly shocked at Lelouch's words. _'A mere 10 year old had correctly guessed his plans when the best strategists and even Schneizel couldn't guess them. This little brat is becoming more and more of a problem every day. I really hope he doesn't cause any problems in the future. But can I risk my goal? No he must be dealt with immediately; I need to get rid of him soon, but how? Sending him to Japan and then attacking would have sufficed but this little brat has revealed my plans in front of the nobles. There are far too many of them present here. I don't think that I can take care of all of them. Also I can't go on with my plan anymore, for if I do so these nobles will lose faith in me and I need their faith for some more time. What should I do? Never in my life have I been outwitted in such a manner...'_

"That is where Nunnally and I come into play. We shall be the bargaining chips for Britannia to get Japan. Won't we father? But I think I have a better way to get Japan without Nunnally being hurt."

"Even if what you say is true what can you do? What is this master plan of yours that can be better than the one you have just pointed out?"

"My plan is to take Japan from inside. And I intend to do it with the least amount of bloodshed from both sides. While many among us may think that obliterating Japan may be a better idea I strongly believe that we shouldn't dispose of all the other resources that Japan has. Even their man force though meagre may prove to be useful. What do you think, Father?"

"It's worth a try. But you have only a week to prepare without the help of any of your half-siblings. You can have all the military support you need other than those under Schneizel's commands provided there are enough soldiers in Britannia so that our security isn't compromised. We wouldn't want us to be ambushed when we are attacking others would we now?"

' _What a week!? What can be done in a week? I don't have any military support. I need people whom I can trust for my plan to work and a week isn't enough for me to get their trust. Even if father is giving me the military support, how much of the military will be left after taking out Schneizel's troops and the border troops, a regiment or two? How can I take down an entire country with such a meagre force? I need to turn this into something that works in my favour.'_ While Lelouch was surprised and wanted to do nothing more that shout how this was unfair, he only nodded his head and calmly replied.

"I really do appreciate that a lot father but I have a request to make."

"What is it?" said his father with a frown.

"Father, I would really appreciate if I would be allowed to take all the personnel working in the Aries Palace along with me, I fear that both me and Nunnally have grown much acquainted with their presence. Also I would be very grateful if you would allow me to contact Earl Lloyd Asplund during the preparation time to just check on the equipment."

"Very well but you may not use any of the new knightmare frames, I assume you know about them."

"New Knightmare frames?" "What in the world are those?" "Why weren't we informed about them?" "When was this project started?" and many more questions were heard from those who had gathered but neither did the Emperor nor did Lelouch pay any sort of attention to them. They continued staring at each other as if there were no one in the entire courtroom.

"Thank you Father and I do know about them being a top secret military project started under direct orders from the Emperor. After all Earl Asplund is a dear of mine and his project was funded by my mother at the initial stages. Though I would love to discuss further I think I should take your leave now for I need start with the assignment on hand. And father there is one more thing; I shall only reclaim my right to succeed the throne only if I am successful. "

With that Lelouch bowed and briskly walked away leaving the crowd with their various mutterings of surprise, anger and admiration on his ability to stand up to the Emperor, something that no one had accomplished to do singlehandedly before.

* * *

Exiting the courtroom, Lelouch was greeted with the sight of a fuming Lord Daemon, who grabbed Lelouch and dragged him to their waiting car. Only when they were in the safe confines of the car and far away from the Royal Palace did Lord Daemon address Lelouch.

"What was that inside Lelouch? I told you this wasn't a good idea, didn't I? I warned you not to lose your cool, not to make any rash decisions, but did you listen, no! You went in, made rash decisions and put yourself in more trouble than before. Don't just sit there Lelouch explain yourself, now!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry I should have listened to you. N-now I-I've lost my claim to succeed to the throne a-and so has Nunnally. "

"What? Lelouch, what did you do? Tell me Lelouch. Tell me everything now!"

"You were right Daemon, you were right about every single thing."

"What was I right about? Lelouch, don't test my patience, tell what happened."

But Lelouch sat there unfazed staring into nothingness; his eyes had a glazed look as if he was living in a different time, a time of happiness with no worries. None of Lord Daemon's words seemed to bring him out of his reverie.

After a seemingly long time alone tear slid down his cheek and he said, "You were right Daemon! You were right about every damn thing. My mother was murdered by the very empire she was loyal to. My father is a monster who doesn't care about me and my sister. That monster is sending us as bargaining tools to Japan, using his own children to cause a distraction for a sneak attack. We are mere tools for him, tools for securing his place on the throne. How can he be so heartless? How?"

Saying this Lelouch finally broke down. All the events that had occurred weighed down on him and he broke. A ten year old can stay strong but for how long? Firstly Lelouch stayed strong for the sake of his little sister Nunnally and then to face his father, but now that there was no such reason he finally let his feelings, his despair take over himself. He threw himself at Lord Daemon- the only man left on his side whom he could look up to-and cried his soul out.

Sensing his prince's despair Lord Daemon embraced the broken prince and gave him all the support he could muster. Having worked for Lady Marianne for the past 10 years of his life Lord Daemon had seen Lelouch grow from an infant to the child that he now was with his very own eyes and never once during this time had he seen the prince so wrecked. His heart reached out to the young boy who reminded him so very much about a certain person of his past and that was when he vowed that no matter what happened he would always stay by this young prince's side playing the role of his guiding star.

"Don't you worry Lelouch I have got your back. I won't let anything happen to you or Nunnally. We will get out of this mess no matter what is thrown our way. You have my word on that."

The two sat back silently each with thoughts of their own for the rest of the ride. It was only when they neared the Aries Imperial Palace that Lord Daemon asked Lelouch to compose himself and stay strong for the sake of his young sister. At the mention of his sister Lelouch regained his senses and masked his face into one of indifference-his mask was so perfect that no one would have ever guessed that this very boy had broken down a few moments ago.

"Daemon"

"Yes my prince."

"Nunnally mustn't know anything about this."

"About what Lelouch you haven't told me what happened. All I heard from outside was that there was a lot of commotion and then as if something was being secretly discussed. What happened? My guess it is something that we should be concerned about."

"Yes it is but Nunnally doesn't need to know that. As long as I am alive she doesn't need to worry about a thing. I won't let her be used as a tool. I will get back our rights."

"What are you planning to do Lelouch?"

"It's simple; I'm going to show my father that I am not weak. Daemon I am going to capture Japan and then I shall reclaim my right to succeed the throne."

With that Lelouch exited the car and walked towards the Aries Palace. If only he would have stayed for a moment longer he would have seen the look of utter horror on Lord Daemon's face.

* * *

 **Well that finishes chapter seven. I really hope it was good. Please review and let me know how was it or what changes would you prefer.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's Chapter-8.**

 **Hope you all like it.**

* * *

Lelouch stormed into the Aries Imperial Palace with a face that clearly said 'don't you dare talk to me right now'. He spotted Leon standing outside Nunnally's room who greeted him with a bow.

"I know that you do not wish to talk about the meeting but how did it go?"

"It's kind of complicated. I don't want to talk about it now, I'm not in the mood. For now tell me how is Nunnally holding up? Was there any change in the results? "

"I'm afraid not. The doctors at our disposal weren't able to find out what is the problem. They say it is more of a mental block than a physical one."

"They can't do anything about it, can they?"

"I'm afraid not. But they say that Dr. Annette may know some solution. She is an expert in these matters and has done quite a lot of research in the subject of mental blocks."

"Then contact her immediately. We don't have much time."

"I'm afraid that is not possible."

"And why is that so?"

"She was the best doctor in the entire empire and hence she had been assigned with the troops accompanying Prince Schneizel. Not only that but the base camp she was staying at was recently bombed. It hasn't been conformed whether she is alive or not."

"What! When did this happen?"

"A few hours after Lady Marianne's assassination"

"As far as I know the war with the European Union was at a halt with a temporary ceasefire."

"Yes my Prince, it was and this bombing had occurred out of a sudden resulting in the cancellation of the peace treaty that was to be signed. Maybe the peace offering was just an attempt to trick us."

"Maybe", ' _but why do I feel that there is something more to this, something that no one has noticed yet. The European Union was growing steadily weaker and its obvious that they would prefer a peace treaty for the time-being to gather forces and attack later, so why did they break the ceasefire? I wonder whether they were truly the ones who fired the bombs or are they being framed. If so, then why?_ _Who could have fired these bombs? What could have been their motive? Did they want to obliterate the European Union by restarting the war? Or did they want to weaken Britannia's forces? Or maybe it was an attack to take out a particular person._ _I must look closer into this matter.'_

"What's this doctor's name, again?"

"Dr. Annette, Annette Ashford"

"She belonged to the Ashford family!" '

 _No wonder I felt something was fishy. She was surely being targeted. Maybe she knew some kind of secret or maybe the entire Ashford family was suspected by my father that they would try and help me. That could explain their fall from the graces of the Emperor. But then how did father know that I would give up my right to succeed the thrown. No that isn't possible, even I didn't decide that I would do it, it was a decision that I made right then and there. No it isn't because of me, the fall of the Ashford family has some connection with mother's death, but what might that be?'_

"Yes my prince. She was among the last surviving members of the Ashford family."

"How is that possible? What happened to the Ashford family?"

"It seems as if the people of their lands attacked them and it was huge massacre. No one from their mansion was left alive. It was burned to the ground. The only people who survived were those who were away."

"When did this happen and why wasn't I informed?"

"It happened on the night before Marianne's assassination."

 _'What! This isn't good! It seems as if someone is targeting mother with everything they have got. Nunnally and I aren't safe here anymore. I must arrange something so that both of us along with the castle staff and their families can safely escape without having anybody on our trail. I cannot lose anymore of my allies. I must do something and that too I must do it as quick as possible.'_

"Leon get me all the details you can find out about the war with the European Union, this Dr. Annette as well as the Ashford family massacre and make sure no one other than you me or Daemon must know about this. In addition do try to contact Earl Asplund; it seems we will need a lot of his help. "

"Very well my Prince I shall arrange that immediately. Is there anything else you need me to attend to?"

"Oh yes as a matter of fact I do. I want you gather all the palace staff in the courtroom within three hours for I have some important matters to discuss with all of them. And make sure that no one-even the least important person in the palace-is left out. Furthermore I would like to have a private meeting in my chambers with you and Daemon to discuss certain matters with no one around not even the guards, no, no, no it would be much better if the entire wing is empty prior to the meeting . It would also be great if you can arrange all the information I asked for by then. That is all."

"That is a very long list of things I have to do", said Leon with chuckle and shake of his head "Well then I must get going if I have to complete all of this in time." Saying this Leon walked away. He had gone only a few steps away when Lelouch called him again.

"And Leon,"

With a barely audible groan Leon turned around to see what else the prince wanted to add on to his already long to do list. Though he admired Prince Lelouch very much and was forever loyal to him, the prince had a habit of always overburdening him with countless jobs.

"I know it's a lot of work I am asking of you but please Leon, you are the most capable person for this job. You and Daemon are the only two I can completely rely on so please bear with me for a bit longer. Daemon may be very intellectual in political matters and may know the best way to handle a particular situation but you are the one of the most resourceful people in the Empire, I know you can dig up any amount of information you want to at an alarmingly rate. So please help me. I ask of this favor not a prince-not that I am one any longer-but as a child who wants to protect the legacy of his dead mother."

Never had Leon seen Lelouch like this. Although Lelouch had a good heart, was considerate of other people's feelings, but like all other princes was cocky and always ordered people around, he had never in his entire life pleaded someone lower in status to him to help him. Leon had a feeling that the meeting with the Emperor had turned a new leaf in the life of the 10-year old prince and that the prince he had sworn to protect was no longer a naïve child. ' _I see the arrogant little child who roamed the very halls of the Aries Palace a few days ago doting on his mother and sister has finally grown up to be the prodigy he was prophesised to become'._ He could not have been more proud of his prince.

"Of course, my prince, I am forever at your service and no matter how many tasks you give me I hope that I can stand up to your expectations. Well then I must take your leave now for there is a certain prince that I have to impress." Lelouch chuckled at Leon's antics and entered Nunnally's room.

Leon too left to start up with his research but he couldn't help but think about the Prince's words from earlier. _'My, my Prince Lelouch sure has a way with words. In mere seconds he changed my perspective. The work that I felt that I was obliged to do has now become a work I want to do with all my heart. If I hadn't known better I could swear that I am being manipulated. But the way he said those words with appropriate feelings makes me hate myself to even think that sweet boy could manipulate me. Now I see how he would always get the cookies and ice-creams he wanted as a child from the kitchens, no wonder the cooks couldn't deny him what he wanted even though they knew that they would be scolded by Lady Marianne for it. With such a power over his words it wouldn't surprise me if he raises a strong loyal army with a few speeches.'_

* * *

Nunnally was anxious about her brother's return. He was due to return about half an hour ago but there was no news of his return yet. She was worried about him from the morning itself but the session with the doctors had taken her mind off things. Now that she was finally alone her restlessness grew more and more. She had an intuition that maybe the meeting hadn't gone as it was planned by Lelouch and the events had taken a turn for the worst. At first she had thought that she was merely hyperventilating and becoming pessimistic but then as time passed she was sure something was wrong.

Now that she thought about it she knew it would be all her fault if the meeting didn't go as planned. She had ensured that Lord Daemon went with her brother to prevent him from committing any errors but she had forgotten that Lord Daemon had a knack of letting people learning from their mistakes. There was no doubt that he was very loyal but he was never one to interfere in a fight. It was sure that he would have given Lelouch plenty of advice before reaching the castle but there was no doubt that he wouldn't have entered the Emperor's courtroom with Lelouch. He would stay out, listen intently to what was going on inside and only when Lelouch would come out would he start his interrogation on what had occurred inside. Thinking of this Nunnally wondered if it would have been better if Leon had gone with Lelouch but then Leon was known to be as aggressive and rash as Lelouch and the two of them going together for such a crucial meeting would certainly have not been a good idea. Yes, whatever had happened had probably happened for the best.

Nunnally was pulled out of her musings when she heard the door of her room open. Firstly she thought that maybe it was Leon or one of the doctors coming to check up on her but then she noticed how tenderly the door was opened and closed, the soft footfalls as the said person approached her bed as if he/she were afraid that they might wake her up if she were sleeping, that is she realised that it was none other than her brother Lelouch. Only he was capable of such gentleness around her. She lay quietly on her bed and pretended to be asleep wondering what her brother would do.

Lelouch slowly approached Nunnally's bed. She seemed to be asleep, so Lelouch sat down by her beside and carefully held her hand in his. He stayed like that for some time, holding his reason to live and trying to give her all his strength while simultaneously he was lamenting for the pain she had to face because of selfish father. Only when he was certain that Nunnally was indeed asleep did he say two words and no more:

"I'm sorry!" and then Lelouch cried his heart out.

* * *

 **That ends Chapter-8.**

 **How was it? I hope it was good.**

 **Please do review and let me know.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm terribly sorry for this delayed update but I hope this chapter is up to your expectations.**

 **Hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

When Nunnally had pretended to be asleep she had expected him to come up to her, realize that she was awake and tickle her till she admitted defeat by acknowledging the truth. Never in the world had she imagined that her big brother to have an emotional breakdown in front of her. Hearing the words he muttered were enough proof that he was broken but the heart wrenching sobs that were audible confirmed her suspicions that something bad had happened during today's meeting with their father and he was blaming himself for all that had happened. He seemed to be miserably burdened; mentally, emotionally and physically. He couldn't even grieve properly for their mother's death for he had to stay strong for others. Since the incident last morning Lelouch had busied himself with trying to take care of her, making sure that there was a smooth running of things in the castle and preparing for his meet with the Emperor. Sure he hadn't left the infirmary but he was the one who looked over all the things and Nunnally was positive that he hadn't been able to sleep last night any more than she was, which certainly wasn't enough for a mere ten tear old.

Seeing her big brother like this Nunnally realized that though her brother stayed strong all times and was a true child prodigy, he too was human-not a God as she had previously thought. He too susceptible to what was happening around them but he only chose not to express himself. Nunnally wished that someday her big brother would be able to open up his heart and let himself express his feelings in front of everybody but then again his unambiguous expression of feelings would have been seen as a weakness. Seeing no way out of her predicament she hoped that, at least she would be strong enough to be his shoulder to cry upon even if Lelouch didn't know about it.

* * *

Lelouch didn't know what had come upon him when he saw Nunnally lying peacefully on her bed. Under the covers she certainly didn't look like someone who went through such a horrific accident just the day before.

 _'She looks so serene. Only the tear tracks on her cheek show her pain and now I have caused her so much more pain. What kind of big brother am I? Nunnally is such a wonderful sister, always trying to protect me from mother's scolding, listening to me when I have some problems, consoling me when I lose a match to_ _Schneizel when mother's not there_ _and obeying every word of mine as if it was law. But what have I done as her big brother? Only caused her more and more pain! I'm so very sorry! Please forgive me!'_

"I'm sorry!"

And then he felt hopeless. The only question in his mind was;

 _'How do I protect Nunnally with such a meager force?'_

* * *

When Leon had completed all the preparations that he was asked to do, he went to the Prince's chambers but found that Lelouch was nowhere to be seen, worried that something might have happened to the young prince he went in search of him. And when Leon had found him he didn't want to disturb the prince for he was finally having the much required sound sleep that he had been denied since the day before. While sleeping by his sister's side the Prince just seemed like a little child but only when observed carefully could one see the slight creases in his forehead and the dark circles under his eyes that showcased the immense burden on his shoulders.

Three hours later Leon returned to the Princess' chambers to wake the Prince up. He had gathered all the palace staff in the courtroom as his prince had ordered but they couldn't be held much longer for security reasons. Lord Daemon was present in the court room with all the staff but somehow Lord Daemon was acting quite weird today- it seemed that something was worrying him a lot- so Leon didn't want to leave him alone for long. Waking the prince didn't take much effort since he was such a light sleeper.

After Leon had woken Lelouch up, the young prince wasted very little time to freshen up and go to the courtroom. Reaching his destination Lelouch steadied himself for what he was about to say, for it was very important that all the people who had gathered would be loyal to him and support him wholeheartedly.

"All of you assembled here know of the tragic death of my mother, Lady Marianne vi Britannia- the Flash. She was a wonderful woman who rose from the mere ranks of a commoner to a knight of the Round and then to being the Fifth Consort the Emperor only with the help of her skill. She lost her parents at a young age, I don't know how but I do know that she never knew the meaning of family until she met Leon here. He was an orphan just like my mother and then the two of them started their journey from there. I do not know much about their life or the hardships they faced but I sure do know that the time they spent there made them wish to protect others. They were the brother-sister duo who worked hard to become strong and protect the weak, they made up for each other's weaknesses but their efforts were not enough, only two people against so many was not enough. I know that each and every one of you here knows about her kindness, unlike some others she has always used her status to help others in every way possible. But I ask you how much were you helped by the empire before she stepped up. I know that some noble families like the Ashford's and the Tourneville's have helped the commoners but now their power has also diminished considerably as they were supporters of my mother. Who will help the weak now? So I want to continue what they started; I want every person to be happy and satisfied, I want them to feel protected, I want to stop the strong from terrorizing the weak. I want to help as many people as I can but for me to be able to do that I need your help, I need all of your help!"

At this the people started getting restless, they were clearly very affected by what he had said, they were waiting for what Lelouch would say next. On one hand they wanted help for their Queen's noble cause but on the other hand they didn't know what was it that their prince wanted them to do.

As for Lelouch, he could see that they were on the edge and he knew that this was the time to strike; the iron had finally grown hot enough for him to melt it down and remould it into howsoever he desired.

"Don't get me wrong! I don't want you to stop what you are doing and help me start a revolution, I just need you to continue what you are doing, trust me and help me not for me being the price you serve but for being me a child with noble intentions for I am no longer a prince."

"Yes you have heard right! I, Lelouch vi Britannia, am no longer a prince. Today during my meeting with my father, the Emperor I was disowned and so was Nunnally. We no longer have the right to succeed the throne. The two of us along with the Aries palace staff are to be sent to Japan to create a false sense of security within the officials and then perish with the Japanese during Britannia's surprise attack. This is our future unless I capture Japan before the Emperor. So will you all help me? Can I trust you all? I'll give you all until tomorrow morning to decide which side you stand on, the side which has helped all of you for so long or the side that treats you like filth. Whichever side you choose just keep in mind that if you stay by my side I'll ensure that none of you ever get hurt but, if you are on the other side then I'll not show you any mercy and remember Charles zi Britannia won't hesitate in disposing any of his pawns."

"That's all I have to say. Thanks for coming."

With that Lelouch turned around and walked away with a swish of his robes, discreetly motioning Lord Daemon and Leon to follow him.

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Charles zi Britannia was frustrated, his own son had outdone him in his game and he wasn't happy. You see he was a man craving for power. He could go to any limits and even kill numerous people mercilessly to get whatever he wanted. And Lelouch had been a huge obstacle since a very long time. Maybe it was because of the circumstances he was born in that he had so much potential. Furthermore it didn't help that he was such a genius and started utilizing his talent since such a young age.

 _'Damn you Lelouch! How dare you insult me in the court, in front of all those people?! You have always been standing in the way to my goal ever since you were born. That stupid little boy! But he has so much power in him it is quite terrifying even for me, The Conqueror and now even C.C. has taken a great interest in him. However that child will never support my cause he is not of that type, he is too soft-hearted. That child of mine will only cause hindrance to my perfectly laid plans just as he did today. I would have easily eliminated him and that weak sister of his by shipping them off to Japan but he had to go on and guess my plans. Now that those plans are ruined I must do something soon. He is my greatest enemy and I must defeat him. That kid cannot live long enough to discover his true potential and exploit it. He is the perfect candidate to support geass and I can't allow him to possess the power of the king. I have to discuss these developments with V.V. soon. Maybe I'll meet him tomorrow.'_

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 **I hope that there weren't many errors in this chapter as I didn't have time for proofreading it. If you find any grammatical or spelling errors please inform me.**

 **I really wish more of you would give suggestions on how this story is what do you expect to happen next.**

 **Please do review it's means a lot.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry! Sorry! And sorry again. Please forgive me for this extremely late update. Important things came up and I wasn't able to update this story. A time truly came when I thought of abandoning this story but thanks to my wonderful reviewers I got the encouragement to continue this story.**

 **Sorry again. I really hope that this chapter is up to your expectations.**

 **Have a good read and I hope you all Enjoy it.**

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After Lelouch had spoken with the palace staff he was somehow a bit relived. Judging by the whispers that had already started among the staff it was certain that most of them if not all would be joining his cause.

 _'Things are finally looking positive for Nunnally and me. All I need to do now is to somehow get into contact with Lloyd. If I can't use any of the newly-made knightmares then I'll have to make do with the enhanced conventional weapons and only Lloyd can help me achieve that discreetly in such a small time. Once the weapons are decided I can discuss the strategy with Leon and Lord Daemon.'_

"Lelouch, Leon told me that you wanted to talk about something with him and I exclusively. So I was wondering whether or not we should have that meeting now or tomorrow" asked Lord Demon in an overly formal manner. His voice made it seem as though he was hiding something important, something that was worrying him and something that he couldn't share with anyone even if he wanted to. He was followed by Leon going through certain information so ardently that he collided with Lord Daemon with such a force that the sturdy man lost his balance and would have fallen face first to the ground if it hadn't been for the pillar he was standing next to. But before Daemon could voice even a single word of his displeasure, Leon interrupted him.

"Ouch! That hurt. You must see where you stand Lord Daemon."

"What you were the one-"

"Alright that's enough we can discuss about your issues of knowing where to stand later on and if there is time I may also give you some lessons-"

"I have no such issues, it was your fau-"

"-but now, we need to discuss the information I have right away and I can assure you both that you are not going to like it at all. So let's hurry."

"You are right Leon, we must not waste time. Something that's got you so frazzled must be important.", said Lelouch acknowledging the gravity of the situation. And with that they entered the prince's chambers and took their seats facing each other.

"Leon" said Lord Daemon with a displeased frown, "before you start with that information which you have gathered, wouldn't it be wonderful if two of you would share the entire details of what has happened since today morning. Lelouch is still a kid, he is impatient and in a hurry to set things in motion but I expected you to act more professional by briefing the information we individually have to get our facts straight. I can't help but feel that left out on many portions of the information that you both have and thus, I feel that without that knowledge I may not be of much help to the prince."

Daemon had a serious yet condemning tinge to his words and Leon could help but feel embarrassed.

"I know I'm being hasty bu-"

However even before he could say anything more to make the situation even worse Lelouch addressed them.

"Please stop with this pointless argument! I know are also stressed but please cooperate. We are in a dire situation and we need the help of our two greatest minds. So just put aside what is troubling you now and focus on the matter in hand. I have a feeling that much more disturbing things are going to come out", said Lelouch with a firm yet pleading voice.

"Now that, that's settled, I guess I didn't talk with you two about what happened today, did I now?"

With that Lelouch started a detailed account on what had transpired since that morning.

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Lord Asplund was such a serious person that it was certainly very rare to see him grumpy and frazzled was both a rare and scary sight, and that was the very sight that he now had. The Earl was never so serious, neither when he was asked to give numerous knightmare blueprints in a week nor when he had to design a battleship in a day. His office too reflected his mood and had a shadow of silence cast over it; the entire staff was on the edge of their seats quietly doing the assigned work to the best of their abilities and thinking when the Earl would finally explode.

As for the Earl, he was in a huge dilemma of not knowing which to follow his heart, instincts of brilliant mind or his gut feeling. His heart had made him restless and made him want to throw a temper tantrum like a small kid right then and there while his mind wanted him to find her or at least a logical reason for what was happening, and as for his instincts, they wer an entirely different matter.

You see, unlike everyone perceived him to be, he wasn't dense in the matters of the heart, for long time a certain doctor had plagued his very thoughts, her sweet yet intelligent talk was something that replayed in his mind every time he was unoccupied. Dr. Annette, the one whom he had the privilege of meeting two years ago was the one who had stolen his heart almost instantly. Her auburn wavy hair, heart shaped face and plump lips were surely an added bonus but what had drawn the Earl towards the doctor was the way she held herself, her confidence in her numerous theories about the working of the human brain and how it could be manipulated, her intellect and most of all, the way that she was able to keep up with him and his absurd ideas with her equally unbelievable ones. She was one among the very few who believed in him and constantly made him feel that he would be able to achieve more and more wonderful things if he tried.

He, certainly, was whipped by this perfection that God had created, and after maintaining friendship since the last two years Lloyd had finally found the courage to confront Lord Edward Ashford, ask for his granddaughter's hand in marriage and even sign-up a marriage contract. He had also pulled some strings and made it certain that Annette would be returning from her military posting today.

But what had him worried was the fact that she wasn't picking up her satellite phone and even the GPS attached to the ring he had given to her on her last birthday was not responding. What didn't help matters was the intuition he had since the last day. He knew something bad was going to happen, just like he knew when his parents would die, he just hoped that everything would turn out to be okay and she would return to him unharmed. God only knew what he would do without her!

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"Well I'll start off with what I think is the most important, the war with The European Union. The war which I think laid the foundation of all that has happened in the recent days. Both of you know when it started and that Prince Schneizel was given with the task of leading the Britannian troops against them. Prince Schneizel started the war with a very strategic and basic move of surrounding their entire coastline and disabling their navy and slowly proceeding to target their air-force with the knightmares. This all went well and very slowly the Europeans were pushed into a corner and forced to start negotiations. But what they didn't know was that other than Prince Schneizel's troops, there was another legion under the Emperor's direct command that was sent to infiltrate the European Union and take out their important leaders should Prince Schneizel fail."

"That certainly explains things." Said Lelouch

"What do you mean Lelouch?"

"Well, Leon doesn't it seem fishy that after losing the battle and then entering peace negotiations with Britannia, which as a matter of fact were going on smoothly, why would they attack again? I am sure that it wasn't the European Union that attacked Dr. Annette's troop, it was the other Britannian legion."

"But, why would they do that, Dr. Annette was among the best Britannia had. Other than her numerous theories, she has a perfect medical record and is even very fast with healing wounds. She had also excelled in hand-to-hand combat, thus making her the perfect candidate to be in a war as medical help. Why would she be killed? How would it benefit Britannia's cause?"

"I don't know Leon, but what can you say about that deranged man's mind who doesn't even care about his wife's death. Who knows, what goes on in his chaotic mind?"

"That's true Lelouch. There is no telling what goes on in that mind of his. But are the Ashford's informed about this."

"Don't you know? They are all dead; it was a bloodbath, very much like the one your family went through."

With a nostalgic look and sad expression, Lord Daemon answered, "Yes, I heard about the attack but I didn't know about the details."

"Well I gathered all the information that I could with the C.C.T.V. clippings damaged and almost no eye-witnesses. From that information I found that, the morning was peaceful and went on without any disturbance, it was at only at 2 a.m., when things had quietened down that the first signs of an attack were seen and within mere seconds of getting a visual a full-scale attack was launched. What's even worse is that, all the Ashford family's house, every single one across the entire nation was also destroyed. I was able to only confirm the safety of two members of the Ashford family, Lord Ashford himself and his granddaughter Milly Ashford. Even their escape can be classified as mere chance. A servant who escaped informed me that the Lord had to retrieve some documents and a very important heirloom from their ancestral home. It seems that very mansion was attacked a few minutes after their departure. The car they were using for travel also blew up after some time; fortunately, they had already exited the car by that time. They are now residing in a nearby hotel and I have sent some of the palace guards as extra protection, they shall be arriving here tomorrow. I hope that's alright with you, prince Lelouch."

"Yes, that won't be an issue."

"I don't know about the two of you but I have got a feeling that there is something big that we are obviously missing, something that connects all these events together. Almost everyone can see the relation between the two attacks but why now, they could have attacked much before when the security was much weaker. And if you look closely into this matter you would notice that the attack on the Aries Palace was only intended to kill Lady Marianne while the Ashford massacre was to ensure that no one was left alive."

"Now that you point it out, Lord Daemon, it's clear that both attacks had different intentions, but then again why would they do that?"

"I don't know but I'll find out."

"No, Lelouch we'll find out together. Each of us owe at least that much to all of them.", replied Lord Daemon with a determined smile.

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 **That's all for chapter 10.**

 **The next chapter will portray Lloyd's reaction to Annette's death and the start of their journey to Japan.**


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